4.11.17

Deposed Catalan leader urges separatist ‘unity’ for vote

(FILES)
This file photo taken on October 27, 2017 shows then Catalan regional
president Carles Puigdemont (C) singing the Catalan anthem “Els
Segadors” after a Catalan parliament session in Barcelona. The Spanish
judge leading the investigation into Catalan separatists will issue on
November 3, 2017 a European arrest warrant for ex-leader Carles
Puigdemont, who has fled to Belgium, a judicial source in Madrid told
AFP. The expected move against Puigdemont, who was dismissed last week
as Catalan president by the Spanish government, comes after eight
ministers of Catalonia’s deposed government were detained pending
further probes into their role in the independence drive. / AFP PHOTO /
Josep LAGO

Catalonia’s deposed leader Carles Puigdemont called Saturday for
separatists to unite in a December election called by Spain to try to
avert a disputed push for the region’s independence.
Puigdemont’s rallying cry came a day after a Spanish judge issued an
arrest warrant against him, with prosecutors seeking to charge him with
rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds over his secessionist
drive.
“The time has come for all democrats to unite. For Catalonia, for the
release of political prisoners and for the republic,” he said on
Twitter.

The 54-year-old has been holed up in Belgium since Monday and ignored
a summons to appear before the judge in Madrid, saying he wants
guarantees he will receive a fair trial.
The judge issued the European arrest warrants late Friday for
Puigdemont and four of his allies who are also in Belgium, to force them
to return to Spain.
The Belgian public prosecutor’s office confirmed Saturday it had
received the warrants, saying a decision would happen within 24 hours of
them appearing before a judge.
But the authorities said any appeals process could last for up to three months.
“The EU Framework Decision provides that the final decision must be
taken within 60 days, with an extension to 90 days under exceptional
circumstances,” the Belgian justice ministry said in a statement.Illegal referendum
The warrants have further fuelled separatists’ anger and frustration
after deposed members of Puigdemont’s government who did not flee to
Belgium, including his deputy, appeared before a Spanish judge on
Thursday and were detained pending a possible trial.
Protesters in the wealthy northeastern Catalonia region have held
frequent demonstrations, chanting and waving Catalan flags, calling for
their release.
Spain’s worst political crisis in decades flared up after the
regional parliament in Catalonia voted to proclaim an independent
republic following a referendum on October 1 that was declared illegal
by the country’s Constitutional Court.
The central government responded by dismissing Puigdemont’s
executive, imposing direct rule on the region and calling fresh
elections in Catalonia on December 21.
Puigdemont said Friday he was ready to run as a candidate in the poll
and on Saturday called for separatist parties to form a united front.
In his tweet, he referred to an online petition calling for the
creation of a combined independent candidate list, which by Saturday had
received more than 14,000 signatures.
Puigdemont’s PDeCAT party has been in power in Catalonia for much of Spain’s modern democratic era.
Separatist parties have 72 seats in the 135-seat parliament but
PDeCAT is seen running fourth or fifth in the December vote according to
opinion polls.
“It’s absolutely indispensable that we have a joint strategy to
battle the repression,” Sergi Sabria, a spokesman for the separatist ERC
party, told Catalunya Radio, in a sign the two main parties could work
together.
Whether Puigdemont and his colleagues in Brussels, Maria Serret Aleu,
Antoni Comin Oliveres, Luis Puig Gordi and Clara Ponsati Obiols, will
be able to take part in the election is an open question.
The Belgium justice ministry said there are “some situations” where
European arrest warrants can be refused, but added: “If the decision is
to execute the (warrant), the person is in principle surrendered to the
authorities of the issuing state within 10 days following the decision.”‘Jailing of political opponents’
Puigdemont has repeatedly called on the international community to back
him, but apart from Scotland’s separatist First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
criticising the “jailing of political opponents”, there are no signs
that other countries will recognise the independence move.
Spain’s allies in Europe have voiced steadfast support for the
nation’s unity and said they back the independence of the judiciary.

The 7.5 million people of Catalonia, which until this past week had
considerable autonomy, are fiercely proud of their language and culture
but are also deeply divided about the wisdom of independence.
Even though Catalonia is one of Spain’s wealthiest regions, Spain’s
central bank has warned of a possible recession and unemployment in the
region rose strongly in October.
Despite the negative economic headwinds, Peter Ceretti at the
Economist Intelligence Unit said pro-independence parties might win the
December election, as the jailed ministers could deliver an “important
propaganda” boost.